


The Rock-A-Bye Baby Protocol

by seesawing



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 02:23:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20716535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seesawing/pseuds/seesawing
Summary: 5 times the Avengers helped Peter Parker with his nightmares(and one time he helped the Avengers with theirs)or peter moves in with the avengers after homecoming and they all parent him in their own disastrous ways





	1. vision

Peter woke with a sort of aborted shout. A second before he had been in the grips of a nightmare, the building was crushing him and no one was coming, he was calling for help, calling for Mr. Stark, for May, for anyone at all. And then he was awake and suddenly he couldn’t be calling for help because this was the Avengers Compound, and the last thing he needed was for all of his heroes to think he was some little kid who still had bad dreams.

  
Peter was just starting to think that no one had heard - his hearing was enhanced and there were no sounds of approaching footsteps - when a figure burst through the wall. This definitely didn’t have a positive effect on his already mildly traumatized state. Luckily, this wasn’t the first time Vision had opted out of using a more conventional method of entering his room.

  
_Visions not big on doors. Or walls._

  
Sometimes Peter wondered if Tony had intentionally given him such a challenging neighbor. He hadn’t quite grown used to Visions spontaneous and unnerving comings and goings, and he had absolutely no idea how to interact with a robot.

  
“Uh, Mr. Vision, hey.” Peter said weakly, smoothing out his bedsheets where he’d been death gripping them. “I wasn’t really expecting visitors.” He gestured around to his room which was, as usual, in a state of loosely organized chaos. He had no idea how it was already so messy after less than two weeks of living in the compound. Vision touched down on a clear spot of floor, seemingly unperturbed by the mess.

  
“Not to worry Peter. I didn’t mean to barge in, it just seemed like you were in distress.”

  
Peter blushed. “It was nothing, really, just a dream. I’m fine. Sorry for waking you.” Peter stopped himself from babbling further, face bright red.

  
“You didn’t. I don’t sleep, so I can’t say I have much experience with nightmares.”

  
Peter winced. “Right. You’re a robot. I forget sometimes.” _Do androids count electric sheep?_ he thought, but didn’t ask.

  
“It’s okay.” Vision said with a smile. “I like it when people forget.” Peter smiled back.

  
“I can go if you want.” He continued, lifting off the ground again.

  
“No!” Peter reached out a hand as if to bodily restrain Vision from leaving. “I mean - you could stay. If you want. You don’t have to or anything!” He looked down at his lap, lowering his hands to fiddle with the sheets again. He hadn’t meant to sound like such a child. He cleared his throat. “It’d just be nice to have company, that’s all.”

  
“I’d like that.” Vision said kindly, landing softly on the floor again. “Would you like to play chess?”  
Chess was kind of their thing. Mostly because Clint had started a betting pool that currently had over $200 in it that went to anyone who could beat Vision in a fair game of chess. Peter had always thought he was pretty good at chess, but apparently that went out the window when playing with a literal supercomputer. But Peter wasn’t really in the mood to get his ass kicked right now.

  
“Umm how about a different game?” He suggested, getting up and rummaging around in the haphazard mess that was his room. “Uhh one sec, here we go! Cards.” He looked down at the deck in his hands. “Oh no these are Avengers cards that’s embarrassing, hang on.”

  
Vision looked amused. “You have Avengers cards? We are definitely using those.” Peter groaned. God, he was completely incapable of not making an idiot of himself.

  
“Fine.” He said in his best annoyed teenager voice, plopping down heavily on the floor. “But only if I get to pick the game.”

  
“Deal.”

  
“Okay I pick… Go Fish.” It was the first game that popped into his head that involved almost no strategy.

  
“Peter that’s a game for children.”

  
“And I’m a child! It’s perfect.” Peter started dealing out cards, ignoring Vision’s protests. Reluctantly, Vision picked up his hand.

  
“So what’s with the cards? Does each number have a different Avenger?” He asked, flipping them around so the pictures were the right way up.

  
“Yeah, I think it’s like based on how powerful they are? Like the stronger ones have higher numbers?” Peter was trying desperately not to sound embarrassed.

  
Vision frowned at one of his cards. “What the hell?” He said, suddenly annoyed. “Why am I a six!”

  
“You are?” Peter asked, stifling a giggle.

  
“That’s absurd! I have so many powers! I can fly, shoot lasers, phase in and out, I can wield Thor’s hammer, I - ”  
Peter cut him off.

  
“Hey Vision,” He said, smiling wickedly. “Got any sixes?” Vision glared at him.

  
“That’s not fair!”

  
Peter held his hand out.

  
“More fair than playing chess with an actual supercomputer.”

  
Vision sighed and handed over the card. Peter glanced at it, then flipped it around to show the picture.  
“Hey, at least you look cute in it.”

  
“Shut up. I’m not cute. I could kick your ass.”

  
Peter laughed, and eventually Vision joined in. Maybe interacting with him wasn’t so hard after all.  
“Got any aces?” Vision asked.

  
“Nope.” said Peter, popping the “p”.

  
Vision drew a card, then grinned, flipping the cards around to show Peter. He’d drawn an ace.  
“You have to say ‘lucky fish gets his wish.’” said Peter petulantly.

  
“No, I have to say why the hell is Tony Stark an ace?”

  
“Because he’s the strongest avenger.” said Peter loyally. “Come on, he invented you!”

  
“Your devotion to Tony is adorable. But I believe Wanda is the strongest avenger.”

  
Peter made a heart with his hands and Vision rolled his eyes.

  
“If it makes you feel better, I think she’s a queen.” Peter said conciliatorally.

  
“Oh, I _know_ she’s a queen.” Vision said very seriously, and a moment later they were both dying laughing again.  
As it turned out, playing kids games with Vision was kind of amazing. They played Crazy 8s, War, and a lot of Go Fish, and Peter won as often as Vision did. They were both endlessly amused that Clint was on a two, and Vision felt a little vindicated when he learned that Spider-man wasn’t even in the deck. They played into the early hours of the morning, and even though Peter was exhausted at training the next day, he hardly thought about the nightmare at all.


	2. steve

Peter’s second nightmare came six days later. He hadn’t thought it would be a big deal, this whole Vulture thing. It was embarrassing, having nightmares about something so trivial, especially when he was surrounded by people who had seen so many worse horrors. But here he was, trembling in bed over a building collapsing. He rolled over and tried to wipe his eyes on a pillow. He needed to get up. Peter dragged himself out of bed, determined to go to the workshop and make the most of his sleeplessness. He stumbled into the common room, freezing at the site of Steve Rogers standing in the kitchen, his hand in a bag of jellybeans.

Some things about living in the Avengers compound, Peter had gotten used to. Steve Rogers existence was not one of them. Maybe it was something about the unspoken tension between him and Mr. Stark. Or maybe it was due to the fact that he had stolen his shield during their first meeting. But most likely it had to do with the complete panic of meeting his hero/ childhood crush. Either way, Peter was always completely tongue tied around him, and meeting him with tear stained cheeks and bedhead at three in the morning was not ideal.

“Sorry, Mr. uh, Captain. I was just going to work in the lab. Didn’t mean to bother.” Peter stammered, fixing his gaze at the floor.

“Call me Steve. And it’s no bother.” Steve sidled out from behind the counter, holding out the bag of jelly beans to Peter. “Want one?”

“Uh, no. Thank you. I’ll just…” he gestured towards the elevator.

Steve laughed. “Tony’s rubbing off on you. You should be sleeping, not tinkering.” He said the last word with a hint of sarcasm, and Peter knew he was quoting Mr. Stark.

“Is that so bad?” he asked quietly. He still wasn’t sure where to tread around the whole Steve and Mr. Stark thing. The Rogues had only been back in the compound for about a week, and while everyone seemed friendly enough to one another, Peter still felt this hidden animosity that threaded its way through his mentor’s conversations with Steve.

Steve smiled warmly at Peter. “No I suppose not. But you need your rest.”

“Touché.” The sass slipped out of Peter before he could stop it. Damn his lack of sleep. Steve raised his eyebrows.

“Fair enough. Well, if neither of us is going to attend to our usual 3 AM duties, we might as well make a party of it.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “What kinda party?” he asked.

“My vote is for the kind that involves jelly beans and a movie.” Steve said, digging another handful of candy from his bag.

Peter wrinkled his nose. “Jelly beans are the lowest common denominator of candy.” Peter replied, taking a few from the bag anyway. “But I like movies.”

Steve put a hand over his heart in mock affrontation. “Jelly beans are magic and should be worshipped. They make so many flavors now! That’s one perk of getting stuck in the future.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Of all the marvels of the 21st century to focus on.” he said dryly, “You had to pick jelly beans?”

Steve shrugged. “I also like watching new movies.” He gestured towards the couch. Peter sank heavily onto it, picking up the remote and thumbing through movies briefly before deciding on one and pressing play.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Peter said, reaching for another handful of jelly beans. “Seen it?”

“Nope.”

“That’s a travesty. It’s a classic.”

They watched in silence for a while, Steve sitting ramrod straight on the couch, Peter with his legs tucked up, the bag of candy between them.

“You’re eating all my jelly beans.” Steve complained while Harry explored Diagon Alley.

“Hungry.” Peter replied, eyes still fixed on the movie.

“You don’t even like them!”

“I like calories.”

Steve rolled his eyes, sealing up the bag and moving it out of Peter’s reach.

Peter pouted. “I can’t believe Captain America likes jelly beans.” he grumbled, scooching closer to try and reach around Cap for the bag.

“Keep it under your hat.” Steve replied gently nudging away Peter’s arm. “It messes with my aesthetic.”

Peter snorted. “Maybe we can get you exclusively red white and blue ones.”

“I liked you better when you were quiet.” grumbled Steve, returning his attention to the movie. A few minutes later, Steve pointed at the screen. “Look, even your magic kid likes jelly beans!”

Peter sighed, too tired to argue. He closed his eyes, just to rest them for a moment, and his head slumped onto Steve’s shoulder. He felt warm and cozy, the terror of the nightmare far away. As he drifted off, halfway between waking and sleeping, Steve heard him mumble, “G’night Tony.” Steve smiled softly, ruffling the kids hair. It must mean that this was a position he’d shared with his mentor enough times that he was reminded of it. Steve had never expected Tony to be so paternal, but the way Peter looked at Tony, and the way Tony looked back… Well, Steve certainly wished he’d had a father figure to share those glances with.

Hours later, as the movie came to a close, Tony walked into the common room to discover the charming scene, Captain America sitting on the couch watching Harry Potter with a spiderbaby tucked up against his side. He pointed at Steve, all accusation.

“You stole my kid.” he said as he made his way towards the coffee maker.

“Please take him back.” Steve said with a laugh. “I have no idea what to do.”

Tony smiled, walking over to scoop up Peter in his arms. He groaned at the weight, but still managed to shuffle back down the hall to put the kid to bed. When he left the room, Steve softly said, “FRIDAY? Did you get pictures of that?”

“Always.” she replied, and Steve grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chris evans loves jellybeans, therefore steve rogers loves jelly beans. i don't make the rules.


	3. tony

After finding Peter asleep on the couch and getting separate accounts of his nightmares from both Vision and Cap, Tony moved Peter into a room adjacent to his and wrote up a program for FRIDAY that would monitor Peter’s sleep and notify an adult after the kid had a nightmare, preferably Tony himself. He didn’t tell Peter the reason for his room reassignment or about the new protocol, but he knew the kid wasn’t stupid. And, for that matter, neither were the rest of the Avengers. A few of them teased Tony about his newfound paternal feelings towards the kid - before Tony threatened to cut off the heat in their rooms if they mentioned it again. With the New York winter nights pushing into negative double digits, not even the Capsicle wanted to sleep in an unheated room. 

Two days after the move, Tony awoke to FRIDAY’s voice. 

“Boss, Peter’s having a nightmare.” she said over the speakers. 

Tony groaned, sitting up and rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Is he awake yet?” he asked groggily. 

“No, but I suggest you wake him, sir. He appears to be in distress.”

Tony nodded, rolling out of bed as FRIDAY turned the lights up. “Thanks Fri.” he called out as he made his way towards the door. 

He padded softly towards the kid’s room, opening the door silently. Peter was lying on his bed, curled up on his side, the sheets tangled around him, tears streaking down his face. 

“Help me, please! I’m stuck. Somebody, please.” his voice was high pitched and raw and full of terror. The sound made Tony’s chest ache. 

He ran towards the bed, his voice soft. “Hey, kid. Wake up.” He placed a gentle hand on the kid’s forehead, but he jerked away. Tony had no idea what to do.

“Pete, it’s me. Tony. Mr. Stark. It’s just a dream, you’re safe. I’m right here.” he spoke soothingly, running a hand up and down Peter’s back. His eyes fluttered open, and he rolled over to face his mentor. 

“Mr. Stark?” he asked quietly, his voice hoarse. 

“Hey.” Tony reached up to ruffle the kid’s hair. Peter stared at him for one confused second, and then burst into tears, his body wracked with sobs. 

Tony froze. He didn’t know how to handle a crying child. Hell, he barely knew how to handle a  _ not  _ crying one. But he wanted to help so badly. This kid, with all this hurt and heartache and goodness bundled up inside him. This kid who had been a hero long before he got his powers. 

Tony sat down on the bed beside Peter, scooping him up into his lap. Peter wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, burying his face in his shirt. Tony ran a comforting hand up and down the kid’s back, holding him like he was about to break. And maybe he was. 

“Try not to get snot on my shirt.” he said after a while. 

Peter sniffed audibly. “You can buy a new one.” 

Tony laughed. “I’ll put it on your tab.” 

Peter sat up a bit, and Tony reluctantly loosened his embrace. He looked up at Tony with those puppy dog brown eyes. 

“I thought we weren’t there yet.” he said softly.

“What?” Tony asked, confused. 

“In the car, after Germany. I hugged you, and you said we weren’t there yet.” Peter explained.

Tony chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the kid’s hair again. 

“Well, you’ve grown on me. Like a fungus.” he said with a grin. Peter grinned back. 

After a little while Tonk asked, “You okay, kid?”

Peter nodded. “Wanna talk about it?” Tony said, silently hoping the kid would say no. He didn’t think he was ready for that, not yet. 

Peter shook his head. “Okay.” Tony replied, silently relieved. “Want a juice pop?” he asked, moving to get up. The kid always wanted juice pops. They walked together to the kitchen, one of Tony’s arms still slung around the kids shoulders. Neither of them wanted to be separated at the moment. Tony dug a popsicle out of the freezer, unwrapping it so Peter didn’t have to struggle with his still shaky hands. He ate in silence, calm gradually settling back into his features as he did. 

“Thanks Mr. Stark.” he said finally.

Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome Mr. Parker.”

Peter blushed. “Thanks  _ Tony _ .” he corrected. 

“Better.”

Tony reached out and carded his hand through Peter’s hair, then snagged Peter’s popsicle and popped the last bite into his mouth.

“Hey!” Peter protested. 

Tony just grinned at him, the stick protruding from his mouth. 

“You know my saliva was on that.” Peter said petulantly. 

“It won’t kill me. You gonna sleep tonight?” Tony asked, dropping the contaminated stick into the trash. 

“Probably not.” Peter answered honestly. 

“Me either.” said Tony, somewhat less honestly. “Wanna tinker?”

Peter smiled, remembering Cap’s comment from the other day. “Okay.”

They walked down to the garage, Peter keeping up a steady stream of chatter, seeming nearly his usual self. Tony was barely listening, thinking back to Peter’s earlier nightmare. He was going to have to figure that out somehow. He didn’t want his kid to have to go through that any more times than he had to.  _ The kid,  _ he corrected himself. But as he listened to Peter’s babble, unable to help the fierce emotions welling up in his chest as he watched him work, Tony found that he couldn’t help but think of Peter as, at least a little bit, his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry not sorry for the morgan parallels


	4. natasha

The next time Peter had a nightmare, he didn’t cry out, but instead woke slick with sweat, his heart pounding and his face wet with tears. He curled into a tight ball, wishing silently that someone would come to comfort him, while at the same time praying that nobody knew he was having nightmares again. After a few minutes of silence, FRIDAY spoke over the speakers in his room. 

“Peter, your heart rate is unusually elevated and has been for several minutes. Would you like me to alert Mr. Stark?”

“Oh, no I’m fine FRIDAY thanks.”

There was no way Peter was going to bother Tony freaking Stark because he had a nightmare.  _ Again.  _ He knew Mr. Stark hardly got enough sleep as it was. But he hesitated, remembering how much it had helped last time to have Tony stay up with him. 

“I am required to notify an adult, preferably Mr. Stark, whenever you have a nightmare.” FRIDAY put in.

“You are?”

“Yes, Peter. It’s called the Rock-A-Bye Baby Protocol.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Of course it is.”

“I will have to notify Mr. Stark. I’m sorry, Peter.”

“Wait!” Peter called out, extending an arm as if to restrain someone. “I just - don’t want to wake him up. Please. Does it have to be him?”

FRIDAY paused. “You can have me alert another adult of your choosing, if you wish.”

Peter sighed heavily. He knew Mr. Stark was just trying to help, but honestly. “FRIDAY is anyone awake right now?” he asked.

“Yes, Peter. Natasha Romanoff is currently in the common room. Would you like me to notify her that you are in distress?” 

“No, that’s fine.” Peter said hastily. “I’ll go myself.”

“As you wish, Peter.” said FRIDAY gently. Peter groaned and sat up, wiping his tears away and breathing deeply for several long minutes. When he’d regained a little control, he slowly stood up and made his way quietly to the common room. 

He hadn’t spent much time with Ms. Romanoff yet, but she had made a point of joking with him about their exclusive spider club. He didn’t really want to go to her over a nightmare, but it was preferable to the alternative. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been glad for his mentor’s company during his last episode, but he’d been completely embarrassed afterwards. He wanted Mr. Stark to see him as a superhero, not some crying kid. At least this way he could pretend that he was just awake for some perfectly normal, not childlike reason. He took a deep breath and came around the corner to face Ms. Romanoff. 

“Hey little spider.” she said in greeting, closing her computer as he approached. “Nightmares again?”

Peter groaned inwardly. So much for that plan. “Does everyone know about that now?” he asked.

Natasha shrugged. “I’m a superspy. I tend to know things.”

“Fair enough.” Peter sighed. “What’re  _ you  _ doing up?” he countered

“Classified.” she said, sliding her computer into a briefcase. “You hungry?” 

“I’m not that easily distracted!” Peter whined. Natasha raised one eyebrow and Peter huffed out an annoyed breath. “Okay fine. I’m always hungry.”

“I know just the place. Come on.” She swiped her keys off the counter and made her way over to the elevator. 

“You coming?” she asked, when Peter didn’t move. 

“Uh, yeah.” he hesitated. “Mr. Stark won’t be mad, will he?”

Natasha shrugged again. “What Tony doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” she said as she stepped into the elevator. Peter paused for a moment, then followed. 

They drove in semi silence for about ten minutes before Natasha pulled into a parking lot for a 24 hour waffle house. The place looked like a dive. All neon lights half broken, half lit up, with a few beater cars parked on the outside. 

“Here?” Peter asked skeptically as they got out of the car and made their way towards the waffle house. “This looks like a good place to get drugs or a knife wound or something.”

Natasha laughed. “That’s just part of it’s charm.” she said as she opened the door and gestured for him to enter first. 

The inside wasn’t much better than the outside. All the booths were done up in that plasticky red fake leather, and the walls were completely covered in pen. Every inch had someone’s name, or some vulgar note, or initials in a heart, signed on it in varying colors of ink. Natasha led him to a booth in the back corner, and slid in facing the door. Almost instantly, a portly woman in a black apron came bustling over holding a pot of coffee. 

“Hello, Nadia dear.” she said pouring coffee into a mug for Natasha. “You want your usual?”

“Yes, please.” Natasha said, her voice completely different than it had been a moment before. She was speaking with a full on New Yorker accent. Her demeanor had totally changed too. She’d slipped out of the role of Natasha Romanoff, super spy, and into a less opposing figure, all dimpled smiles and easy manner.

“And who’s this young man?” asked the waitress, gesturing to Peter.

Before Peter could open his mouth to speak, Natasha cut in. “My nephew, visiting from California. His parents are working in the city this week so they sent him upstate to stay with me.” The lie seemed almost effortless.

“How nice. Anything to drink for you, dear?” the waitress asked, swiveling towards Peter.

“Can I have a hot chocolate please?” he asked.

“Of course. Whip cream and sprinkles?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

The waitress smiled at Natasha. “Very well brought up boy you’ve got. I’ll be back with drinks and menus in a minute.” 

As soon as she was gone, Peter turned to Natasha. “Who the hell is Nadia?” he asked.

“New York born and raised. Widower, moved upstate after her wife died. She comes in for a strong cup of coffee and some bacon and toast when she can’t sleep.”

“But why? Why not just be yourself?” 

Natasha smiled sadly at that. “And who’s that exactly?”

Peter paused, unsure of what to say.

“It’s like acting.” Natasha continued. “I can play any role, be anything to anyone.”

“I like you best when you’re Natasha.” Peter said softly. 

Natasha reached out to ruffle his hair, the corner of her mouth curling up. “Thanks kiddo.”

Later, Peter ordered a heaping pile of waffles covered in strawberries and whip cream. He stole a piece of Natasha’s bacon, so she ordered him an entire plate for himself. As he ate, she pointed out the diner’s other patrons, telling Peter a little about each of them. That’s Chuck, his wife’s cheating on him, there’s Avery, his mom’s got cancer. Little snippets of strangers’ lives, gathered by a spy who didn’t know how not to listen, how not to pry. But Peter liked hearing their stories, liked that Natasha was willing to share this thing, this secret hobby, with him.

As they left, Peter slid his hand into hers, squeezing once. “Thanks Natasha.” he said quietly. 

“Anytime, little spider.” she said with a genuine smile. 

“Maybe this can be our Team Spider headquarters.” Peter suggested. “It’s like the Waffle House Club House.” 

Natasha laughed. “WHCH for short?” she asked, pronouncing it like a word.

“Oh no that doesn’t work at all.” Peter giggled. “We need a better acronym.”

They spent the drive back to base tossing ideas for acronyms back and forth, laughing too loudly, the windows rolled down.


	5. bruce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wanted bruce to be in this universe so he is. sue me.

The next time Peter had a nightmare, Mr. Stark was out of town. He’d been awake when Peter had arrived home with Natasha a few days ago, but instead of being mad at Peter for leaving the compound without telling him, he was just happy that Peter was smiling. He’d pulled Peter aside and told him that it was totally fine to just talk to whoever was awake, but also that waking him up was no big deal. So when Peter woke up in a cold sweat a week later, he wanted to ask FRIDAY to notify his mentor. Except Tony  _ wasn’t here.  _ He was on a business trip in Japan, halfway around the world. Peter shuddered in bed, hauling in a deep, labored breath. He sat up.

“You appear to have just experienced a nightmare.” said FRIDAY through the speakers. “Would you like me to call Mr. Stark?”

Peter shook his head no, staring down at his shaking hands.

“Who’s awake right now?” he asked FRIDAY.

“Dr. Banner is currently working in his lab. Do you want to go speak with him?”

“Yeah, okay.” said Peter quietly. 

Peter hadn’t spoken that much to Dr. Banner before, mostly because he was kinda terrified of him. Not because of the whole Hulk thing, that wasn’t a big deal, but because he was  _ Dr. Bruce Banner.  _ Like the greatest scientist ever. Peter had even done a big project on him in eighth grade. It was just kinda weird to go to him about a nightmare. But Peter’s entire life was kinda weird at this point so oh well. 

FRIDAY helped Peter navigate to Dr. Banner’s lab. Peter had never had cause to visit before, seeing as all the work he did was in Mr. Stark’s personal lab. Even though he was visiting under weird circumstances, Peter was excited to see the lab for the first time. It was sorta a dream come true. 

When Peter arrived at the lab, he knocked softly. There was a pause and Peter’s enhanced hearing picked up the conversation on the other side of the door. 

“Who is it FRIDAY?” asked Dr. Banner.

“It is Master Peter Parker. He wishes to speak with you.” came FRIDAY’s sterile voice.

“That’s fine, Fri. Send him in.”

The door opened with a soft click and Peter entered, gazing around wide eyed at the walls of medical equipment and banks of monitors. Sitting at a desk, frowning at a computer screen was none other than Dr. Bruce Banner himself. He looked up from the file he was working on, smiled at Peter, and shut off the display.

“Hey Spider-Man.” he said. “What’s up?”

“Uh, hi Dr. Banner, I just um, wanted to talk to you. Yeah.” Peter babbled, blushing bright red.

Dr. Banner gave him a knowing look. “Nightmares again?” he asked, and then at the look of horror on Peter’s face he clarified, “Nat told me.”

“Oh.” said Peter, feeling a little betrayed. “Um right. Yeah. Nightmares.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Bruce asked.

Peter shook his head, utterly embarrassed. 

“That’s fine.” Dr. Banner said quickly. You wanna see what I’m working on?” he asked instead.

Peter perked up at that. “Really?” 

“Yeah, sure. Maybe you can help.” 

He walked over to stand behind Banner so he could see the screen. It showed a simulation of Bruce’s cells, mutating and turning green, then going back to normal. It played on loop. 

“So right now, when I turn into the Hulk, the DNA all mutates like this, see?” he explained gesturing at the video. “But I want to try and find a way to make this mutation permanent, without losing cognitive function.”

“So…” Peter said slowly, wrapping his head around the idea, “You’d be in Hulk’s body, but you would still be in control?” he asked.

“Yeah exactly.” said Banner, ruffling Peter’s hair.

“You got your powers from an accident involving gamma radiation, right?” Peter asked, thinking back to his eighth grade report.

“Right.”

Peter worried his lower lip, thinking hard. “That’s funny.” he said after a moment. “I got my powers from radiation too. But there’s no off switch. They work all the time.”

Bruce froze, turning to look at him. “You did?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I got bit by a radioactive spider.”

“Do you mind if I run some tests on your DNA?” Dr. Banner asked, getting up and rummaging in a drawer for something.

“Sure.” Peter said, hardly believing his luck.

“Thanks, kid. Hop up on that table.” Banner instructed, digging out a needle. “Ever had blood drawn?” he asked as Peter scooched up onto a hospital bed in the corner.

“No.” Peter felt a little nervous. But whatever. This was  _ so cool.  _ He was helping Bruce freaking Banner with an experiment. This was maybe the most amazing thing to ever happen to him. 

“It’s not so bad.” said Dr. Banner, taking his wrist and extending his arm out, palm up. He ran a sterilizing wipe over the inside of Peter’s elbow, then carefully lined up the needle with a vein. He pressed the plunger and Peter watched as his blood was sucked up into a little tube. 

“Feel okay?” Dr. Banner asked, bustling away to label and store the sample.

“Yeah, that was no problem.” said Peter, trying to sound tough.

“I’ll run those tests later.” Banner said, shucking off his gloves and putting them in the trash. “Come on, let’s go get you some juice. It’s good to get something in you after taking a blood sample.”

They walked back upstairs to the common room and Bruce gestured for Peter to sit on one of the high stools at the kitchen island. He grabbed a jug of orange juice out of the fridge and poured a tall glass, sliding it across the table to Peter. 

“We all have nightmares you know.” he said softly as he watched Peter drink his juice. 

Peter said nothing. 

“I have them all the time. That’s why I’m awake now actually.” Bruce exhaled and poured a second glass of juice for himself. 

“I’m afraid… that I’ll hurt someone. Someone I love. Because I have this monster inside me that I can’t control.” He looked Peter in the eye. “The project helps. It’s all about giving me back the control. Maybe that’s what you need, Peter. Some reassurance that whatever happens in the dream… it won’t happen for real.”

Peter took a big sip of juice, trying to hide the lump in his throat. “It already happened.” he said softly, not meeting Bruce’s eyes.

“Okay.” the doctor said, not backing down. “And what was so scary about it?”

Peter hesitated. It was a good question. What about the experience had made his unconscious mind latch on? 

“I think…” he said slowly. “It’s because I was all alone. And no one was coming to save me.”

“Can I tell you a secret, Peter?” Bruce asked, reaching out and tilting the kid’s chin up so he could look him in the eye.

Peter nodded.

“There isn’t a single person in this compound who wouldn’t drop everything to come get you out of trouble. You’ve only been with us for a little while, but every one of us would fight anything and everything that stood between you and safety. And we’re all damn good fighters.”

Peter smiled up at Dr. Banner, surprised by the little speech. Was it true? He thought of Vision playing Go Fish with him, of Cap sharing his jelly bean stash, of Natasha taking him out for waffles, of Bruce showing him his project. And most of all he thought of Tony, promising him that it was always okay to wake him up, letting Peter cry all over his nice shirt, giving him this home, this family to call his own. 

“Thanks Dr. Banner.” he said, voice thick with emotion. “That actually helps a lot.”

After that, Peter’s nightmares got better. Especially when he returned to his room one night to find a small box wrapped in butcher paper on his bedside table. Inside, was a watch with a note that read, “So we can ALWAYS have your back. T.S.” It had a button on the side which, when pressed, would call Tony, or an Avenger, or an iron man suit, whatever could get there fastest. Peter wore it every day. Sometimes, when he was getting pushed around at school, or having a hard patrol, or just feeling down for any reason at all, he would look at the watch and remember that he was loved.


	6. +1

About a month after the nightmares started to get better, Peter woke not due to his own elevated heart rate, but to the sound of someone else’s. Sometimes enhanced hearing was kind of a bummer. He sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes and listening intently. He knew almost immediately that Mr. Stark was the one in distress. Every heart sounded different. 

He leapt up and sprinted out of his room and into the adjacent one. Odd that the door opened easily at his touch. Did he always have clearance to go into Mr. Stark’s room? Or had FRIDAY let him in no questions asked because it was an emergency?

Peter had expected to find someone attacking Mr. Stark. He’d been ready to fight with everything he had to save his mentor. But instead, Mr. Stark was alone. His eyes were closed, but his expression was not that of one peacefully sleeping. It was one of unbearable pain. He looked like he was watching his world burn. And maybe he was. Peter rushed to his side.

“Mr. Stark- er- Tony! Hey. Hi.” Peter had no idea what to do. “It’s okay.” he said lamely, reaching out to wake Tony up. “It’s just a dream, it’s okay.”

Tony’s eyes finally opened and he looked around, the terror of the dream still evident on his face.

“It’s okay Mr. - Tony. It’s okay Tony. It wasn’t real.” Peter said softly, jumping up to sit on the bed beside him. 

“Hey kid.” said Tony gruffly. Peter averted his eyes to give the man a moment to compose himself. He knew Tony had to have his pride. 

“I’m fine kid.” Tony said a moment later, with a bit more of his normal surety back in his voice. “You can go back to bed.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “So if I have a nightmare, it’s a whole big deal that everyone has to get involved in. But if  _ you  _ get a nightmare, everything’s fine?” No way was Peter letting Tony get off this easy. It was time for Rock-A-Bye-Baby Protocol. 

“Come on.” Peter said, sliding off the bed and grabbing Tony’s hands to pull him up. “We’re getting up, let’s go.”

“Peter seriously, stop, I’m an adult, this is completely unnecessary-” he grumbled, trying to twist out of Peter’s grasp.

“Nope! Hey, stop that. I have super strength, you can’t win.” Peter tightened his grip and heaved Tony up. 

“Oh yeah? And I’m Iron Man.” Tony protested, even as he got to his feet. “Where are we going?” 

“Classified.” said Peter, letting go of Tony’s hands so he could strip the blankets and pillows off of Tony’s bed. 

“Hey!” said Tony, annoyed. “What’re you-” Peter cut him off.

“Friday, who’s awake right now?” he asked.

“Steve Rogers is in the common room. Dr. Bruce Banner is working in his lab, and Vision is in his room.” FRIDAY replied.

“Can you ask them to all meet me in the common room?”

“Hey! Friday, don’t-” Tony interjected.

“Right away, Peter.” Friday said, interrupting his order. 

Tony groaned. “Why did I give you this high of clearance!” he muttered to himself. 

Peter ignored him. He just gathered up the pillows and blankets and walked off down the hall. Tony threw up his hands in annoyance, but followed him. 

Bruce, Steve, Vision, and Wanda - who must have woken up when Vision left their shared room- were gathered in the common room. 

“Peter, what’s going on?” Cap asked as soon as Peter entered. 

“Mandatory team bonding.” said Peter, dumping his armload of bedding onto the floor. “Go get all the pillows and blankets you can find and bring them here.” he walked to the couch as he spoke, grabbing the pillows off of it and chucking them into the pile. 

“Do you have any idea how much that couch cost?” asked Tony, rushing forward to intercede.

“You’re a billionaire, it’s a couch.” Peter said dryly, grabbing another pillow. The team was still standing there, staring at him in confusion. Then, Vision shrugged and went to retrieve more pillows. After another moment, the rest of the team followed. A few minutes later, they returned, joined by Nat, Clint, and Bucky. All of them were loaded down with comforters, pillows, fuzzy blankets, and all things soft. Peter pointed wordlessly at the pile. 

“Are you going to explain what’s going on?” Tony asked. At this point he seemed kind of resigned to his fate. He might be the de facto leader of the avengers, but the kid had power over them even Tony couldn’t begin to sway. He just had that effect on people. 

Peter plopped down in the middle of the pile. “It’s a cuddle puddle. My aunt and uncle used to do this when I had nightmares.” He grabbed a blanket and wrapped himself in it. 

Clint shrugged and dropped into the pile. “Good parenting.” he mumbled, and fell back asleep. 

Then Nat dropped in between Peter and Clint, and Bruce laid down so his head was resting in her lap. Vision and Wanda curled up by Peter’s feet, and Steve scooched in next to Wanda. The younger girl curled up against him, smiling sleepily. Bucky followed him. Peter looked up at Tony, standing with his arms folded. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“You’re going to be the death of me, kid.” he murmured softly, no real annoyance in his tone. He joined the pile. 

Later, Pepper entered the compound, fresh off a red eye flight and itching for sleep. But when she walked into the common room, she froze, not believing the sight spread out on the floor before her. 

In the middle of the pile was her fiance, sleeping more peacefully than she’d ever seen him. Peter was lying with his head on his mentor’s chest, Tony’s right arm wrapped around him and tangled up in his hair. His left arm was around Nat, who was curled against him, her fingers entangled with Peter’s. Bruce was using her as a pillow. Her other arm was draped across Clint. Vision lay across Tony’s legs, with Wanda lying mostly on top of him. Steve’s head was pressed against her stomach such that he was lying next to Tony but facing the other direction. Peter’s outstretched arm held a fistful of Steve’s t-shirt. Bucky had his head on Steve’s lap, perpendicular to the pile, but not excluded. 

Pepper crouched down and pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead. Then she toed off her shoes, and managed to squeeze in between Tony and Nat. Tony’s eyes fluttered open. 

“Hey Pep.” he said sleepily.

“Hey.” she said back, her voice thick with emotion. 

“I’m happy.” he said, his eyes fluttering closed again. “I’m just so happy.”

Against his chest, Peter grinned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the people who commented! I've never shared my writing before so that was super exciting. I'm thinking of writing some more stories in this universe, so if anyone's interested please let me know :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first attempt at fanfiction so please let me know if you like it!


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